CORR Insights^®: Should High-grade Extraosseous Osteosarcoma Be Treated With Multimodality Therapy Like Other Soft Tissue Sarcomas?

Excerpt

Orthopaedic oncology is a specialty defined by uncertainty. Although we are able to diagnose sarcoma subtypes reliably and recommend treatment plans, the reality is that even tumors with the same name can act dramatically differently. Therefore, the clinician must use many details about the individual scenario—grade, histologic subtype, size, depth, location, stage, and patient demographics—to make a logical guess as to the anticipated behavior of the diagnosed condition. As described by Fan and colleagues [3], extraosseous osteosarcoma is a representative example of a common dilemma in orthopaedic oncology: How do we select the most appropriate management strategy when we are unable to accurately predict the natural history or response to treatment in a rare cancer? …